Michael Noonan
Question:9 Mr. Noonan asked the Taoiseach the projected total cost for 2002 of the communications unit in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1150/02]
Ceisteanna – Questions. - Departmental Costs.
The projected total cost of the communications unit for this year is €237,158. This figure includes salaries, shift allowances and the operational costs of the unit. Also included in the figure are the salaries of the five staff that are on secondment to the unit from other Departments. Approximately €80,842 of the projected cost is appropriate to my Department's Vote, with on average €31,263 being the projected cost to each of the other five Department's involved.
In answering the last question on this matter the Taoiseach gave the cost of his Department at around £55,000. He subsequently wrote to me giving the costs to line Departments of the seconded staff, which came to £200,000. Has the Taoiseach employed any additional staff in the unit since then? Does he intend expanding the staff on the run-in to the general election? Does he agree that because this unit services Ministers rather than any other Deputy, it confers on Ministers an unfair advantage, not only over the Opposition, but also over Deputies in their own parties who might be their running mates? Would he agree to stand down the unit in the run-in to the general election?
No, the staff have reduced by one member who has been promoted. There are no extra staff and there are no proposals to extend their number. I have no intention of standing the unit down because it has nothing to do with a general election. It merely gathers information that is in the public domain and transfers it to several hundred individuals across Departments, of whom Ministers and Ministers of State would make up only a small proportion. It, therefore, saves significant costs and makes the service more efficient. It is not in any way propping up any political office.
Does the unit continue to monitor political interviews in the provincial newspapers and local radio stations?
No. It covers the main radio stations: RTE Radio 1, Lite FM, FM104, 98FM, Today FM and the national newspapers.
If the Taoiseach is saying the service is purely an efficient and cost effective news gathering and monitoring system, will he consider making it available to every Member of the House on the basis that we would all be equally informed and not subject to misapprehension or misleading comments or stories? We would all know what he is concerned about, if it is not a political monitoring system.
It is not political. It merely reports and gives the ministerial and Civil Service system the news of the day and reports on what is happening daily. There have been a number of freedom of information requests in order that people can see what is in it. No more than in any other—
Why did the Taoiseach refuse?
That happened on one occasion several years ago. No more than any of our press offices do at a political level, the unit supplies straightforward headlines and information to the Civil Service. It does not put any spin or twist on it. It merely contains straightforward civil servants who are doing a job as they would in any other Department of Government.
In view of the suspicious origins of the unit and the fact that it was run in a very political way by its original director, Marty Whelan, can we not all test the accuracy of the Taoiseach's protestations by making the documentation available to every elected Member of the House? We would all then be aware of the concerns of the monitoring system.
The documentation has been seen because—
No, it has not.
It has been made available to several people under freedom of information requests in the recent past. Only one request several years ago was refused. People can see it is no more than a report on the day's headlines and events updated on an hourly basis. Like any other service within it, it is totally run and organised by the Civil Service and in no way influenced by the political system.
In that case the Taoiseach should share it.
I want to be clear on what the unit does. Would it supply a tape of a programme such as "Questions and Answers," shown last night, to Departments for viewing by officials or Ministers? If, for example, Deputy Jim Higgins was interviewed on Lite FM, would it provide transcripts of the interview? Would it do so without comments or advice? Does it supply transcripts of the more lurid interviews of the Minister of State, Deputy Eoin Ryan?
The Deputy should get the views of his colleague, Deputy Fitzgerald, on that.
It does not do programmes like that unless requested, but it has the capability to do so. We bought in such programmes from outside the Department for many years which was a costly system. Such programmes are provided without comment. I assure Deputy Higgins that any transcript provided would be given without comment, reflect only what a person said and not contain any spins or anything else.